title: Injuries related to hiking with a pack during National Outdoor Leadership School courses: a risk factor analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if packweight, anthropometry, and individual characteristics are related to acute musculoskeletal and soft tissue injuries while wearing backpacks on wilderness expeditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a review of prospectively gathered data on participants and instructors enrolled in National Outdoor Leadership School Rocky Mountain hiking courses between March 2008 and October 2009. Packweight, height, body weight, age, and gender were collected. Individuals that suffered acute musculoskeletal and soft tissue injuries while hiking with a backpack were recorded and compared to individuals that did not suffer injuries. Logistic regression was used to determine which variables were significantly correlated with injuries. Odds ratios with associated confidence intervals and p-values are reported.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One thousand two hundred and one individuals were included in the final analysis. Twenty-six individuals of this population suffered reportable musculoskeletal and soft tissue injuries while hiking with a pack. None of the factors examined (packweight, height, body weight, age, gender, or packweight to body weight ratio) were significant in predicting acute injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on our results, an individual's packweight, anthropometry, and individual characteristics neither increase nor decrease their risk of experiencing a musculoskeletal or soft tissue injury while hiking with a backpack. Other factors, including fitness, pretrip training, and footwear, should be examined to determine appropriate strategies to reduce significant musculoskeletal and soft tissue injuries on wilderness expeditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. matt.hamonko@gmail.com
authors.forename: Matthew T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Hamonko
authors.forename: Scott E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: McIntosh
authors.forename: Tod
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schimelpfenig
authors.forename: Drew
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leemon
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology*; D055814:Wilderness; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D055815:Young Adult